While they were not big numbers nor the best that went to Silver Fern Farms for processing the results have Beltex NZ “just excited enough”, farmer Blair Gallagher said.
“Having had the sale we sold the best so these were just the cull ram lambs and not the best by any means but just the same we got some very encouraging results.”
Gallagher is raising the sheep on his Rangiatea sheep and beef property near Ashburton in partnership with fellow Beltex NZ directors, sheep genetics scientist Jock Allison and farm consultant John Tavendale.
The first crop of lambs was born on Rangiatea last year following the embryo transfer of British genetics.
Beltex rams were offered for the first time in NZ at a sale on the property in March.
“What we are seeing for ourselves and what we are now hearing from buyers right across the country, the breed is going to indeed be very exciting for the sheep industry here.
“The kill sheets from these first lambs processed, despite being culls, have been incredibly pleasing in meat to bone and yield to live weight from dead weight,” Gallagher said.
Data available from the Scottish Rural College at Edinburgh had provided the Beltex NZ team with an insight into the expected performance of the breed compared with other terminal sire breeds in Britain.
The Beltex had a much higher killing out percentage (7-11%) than other terminal sire breeds and in comparison the ratio of eye muscle area to liveweight was 12-25% higher for Beltex.
More recent data showed the percentage of meat in the carcase was about 72%, 6% higher than British Texels and 12-14% higher than other terminals.
The NZ lambs killed out from a range of 49kg liveweight to 23.4kg meat weight at 81.2% meat, down to 41kg liveweight at 17.9kg meat weight and 79.3% meat.
Allison said the processed lambs gave very high-yielding lean meat.
“The highlight really for us is the much improved meat yield but also what can be done in cutting the carcases into higher value products,” Allison said.
The first lambs in significant numbers will be 25% Beltex.
“But based on the information we have there should be 2.5% more meat in the carcase and a noticeably better shape – for 50% Beltex just double the figures.
“With the multiplication of significant numbers for use in the industry there will be many crosses, such as Texel-Beltex, (the new muscly Texel), the Beltex-Suffolk and Perendale – the Beltex place being the improvement in carcase quality and meat yield.
“In fact I think that the NZ Texel in the future will be an interbred Texel-Beltex that will vastly improve the present Texel.”
The unknown is the growth rates of the Beltex crosses given in Britain there is very little or no selection for productive criteria.
“Early days yet for us in NZ, tremendous potential but a lot of work to do,” Allison said.
The second Beltex NZ lambing is under way at Rangiatea where Gallagher is lambing to five different programmes this year.
“We have three embryo transplant programmes, artificial insemination with Poll Dorset and Suffolk ewes and the best of the purebred Beltex rams have been mated over the Perendale, Poll Dorset and Suffolk.
“So, we are looking forward to some very encouraging results going forward following the positive signals from our first year.”
The first round of embryos was sourced from five British studs with embryos and semen this year from three different studs.
“We now have the genetic base coming from eight unrelated studs and we have specifically selected the genetics we want and we can breed for a few years now without bringing in more genetics.
“In effect, what we are doing is increasing the amount of product we produce just through genetics and that is really exciting for the future.”
By the end of stage two this year investment in the Beltex breeding programme will reach $1 million.
“It’s been an exciting journey this far and we are confident the Beltex has the attributes to be a game-changer for the NZ sheep industry,” Gallagher said.
